Unloading system for mines



Jan. 27, 1953 w. B. LODGE ETAL UNLOADING SYSTEM FOR MINES 7 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 10, 1946 Jan; 27, 1953 w. B." LODGE EI'AL 2,626,721

UNLOADING "SYSTEM FOR MINES Filed July 10, 1946 TSheets-Sheet 2- Jan. 27, 1953 W. B. LODGE ETAL UNLOADING SYSTEM FOR MINES 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 10, 1946 l I I I I I I I II I II II II II :I I I I WM jhzzzw Jan. 27, 1953 w. B. LODGE EI'AL 2,626,721

UNLOADING SYSTEM FOR MINES Filed July 10, 1946 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jan. 27, 1953 w. B. LODGE ETAL 2,626,721

UNLOADING SYSTEM FOR MINES Filed July 10, 1946 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Jan. 27, 1953 w. B. LODGE ET AL UNLOADING SYSTEM FOR mums Filed July 10 1946 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 1953 w. B. LODGE ETTAL 2,626,721

UNLOADING SYSTEM FOR MINES Filed July 10, 1946 '7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Patented Jan. 27, 1953 piitoapnvo SYSTEM FOR MINES alter Bertram Lodge and Geoffrey Armi tage Corden, Outwood, near Wakefield, England;

Frank Ernest Lodge, administrator of said Walter Bertram Lodge, deceased, assignors to Armitage & Bertram Limited, Leeds, England,

a British company approaches, 10, 1946, sci-air No. 682,694 In Grat'Britain April 25, 1945 Section 1; Public Law 690', August 8, 1946 Patenteiipires April 25, 1965 was. (01. 214 -52) This invention relates to mechahical handling plan for the. unloadingor discharging of coal or other minerals at .mine shafts, and has for its chief object to provide a method'of and means for discharging mine cars, especially those of large size, with a minimum amount of labour, and inexpensive as possible whilst allowing coal from different seams, or minerals of difierent kinds to be hoisted "at a mine shaft and discharged on to separate conveyors, screens, chutes or into separate storage bunkers.

As mine cages are usually arranged close togather inmine'shaft's it is difficult to arrange rotary 'tipplers opposite to the ends o'feach cage.

, According to the present invention, the arrangement is such that the mine cars, and tipplers, if used, can be moved sideways across the ends of the cages by any means, such as slidins r rolling, or by being carried upon movable carriages or tables running in slides or on rails across the ends of the cases, Thus a full mine car may be moved out of one of the cages and then moved sideways, if necessary, to the positionofdischarge, H. V. a,

, When the said minecar reaches the discharge position it may be emptied either by means of a rotary tippler, which rotary, tippler may, or may not, be mounted on the movable carriage itself, or by opening a door or doors in the car itself when the carriage has moved the car over the p p ld sich rse openin a S sidew ysmoven nt p m t di ar e e ar t ke place on p eo everal. conveyors, chutes bunRersQorthe like as desired.

In'forder that the invention maybe; clearly l lldlsto d nd eadily carriedi i o efict. refer enceisdirected to the accompanying drawings, herein: a

s, i' a ra m tic ie 'slmwinjsinelevation, an', arrangement of coal, mechanical han- 11 m plant, at a p the dinwh h mine ca es rrom a shaft fitted with two cages are presented for discharge. Y 1

2 is a plan of fea s a d.

Fi 3. is an; nd evation Figure Fisisas m ar view t F u ,1 Showin modified form of mechanical handling plant for use-ataipit ead. a,

Fi 5 at as of figu e 4 an F 6 isanendele tier (o .Ei ure .9 dto doub tie er mine cas s present d from a double mine at. Fig; 8 is an end new of Figure 7,

Fig. 9 shows diagrammatically in end elevation and in greater, detail, a mechanical handling plant in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 10 shows diagrammatically in plan, a modified arrangement of mechanical handling plant according to the invention, and i Fig. 11 shows in plan, a still further modified arrangement of plant. v V

The following description of the invention is directed to the method of and means for handling coal, but is equally applicable to other minerals, further it is assumed that in describing the method of working, that one cage arrives with a full car or cars at a shaft top whilst the other cage arrives at the shaft bottom with an empty car or cars.

Referring to the drawings in general, the same reference letters are used for the same or equivalent parts throughout, A indicates a mine page which may be of the single or double decker type, each type having a pair of such cages operating side by side and presenting alternately totippiers B, a full mine car C for discharge and in turn receiving an empty mine car, The mine cars being ejected from the. tipplers B by rams D, D, which move the mine carsalong rails E into or out of the cages A. The tipplers B are mounted on Wheeled carriages F whereby the tipplers can be moved along rails E transversely set relatively to the rails E to dischargethe contents of the min cars to chutes G, conveyor bands H,

. screens J or alternatively to openings in storage receptacles. r 7

Referring more particularly to Figures lto 6 of the drawings at each end of the cage A, there are arranged the movable carriages F, on which the rotary tipplers B are mounted. Beyond. the carriage and on the centre line of the ca e: at each side are arranged the power operated rams D, D. In Figures 1, 2 and.3, a pair of rams are used in echelon to deal with both cages, whereas in Figures 4, 5 and 6 four rams are used.

When a cage reaches the shaft top containing a full car C, the carriages F attach end of the cage are waiting with their tipplers Bin position. An empty car being in one upper with the other tippler empty. On the cage coming to rest in the required position a ram D pushes the empty car in one tippler into the cage so as .to .push the full car out of the cage into the other tippler. The cage at the shafttop now containing an empty car and with a full car loaded into .the a cage at the shaft'bottom the cages may .bewoik'ed to raise and lower the full and. empty cars respectively,

Whilst the cages are moving in the shaft the empty tippler is moved into position for receiving the full car from the rising cage when it reaches the surface. Also whilst the cages are in motion the tippler with the full car revolves and the coal or other mineral is discharged.

In the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2 where a pair of rams D, D are used in eschelon the mine cars follow a substantially rectangular path due to the disposition of the rams. In the arrangement shown in Figures 4 and 5, however, the cars are shuttled to and fro because of the disposition of the rams, in both cases the tipplers D, D, being moved laterally on their carriages F, F, to receive, and discharge in turn and present the mine cars to the cages for movement by the rams.

Alternatively to the full car being pushed into the tippler and moved immediately into line with the other cage, it may be emptied immediately or moved to some intermediate special emptying position and emptied, by revolving the tippler, down chutes or the like. Thus it will be understood that a full car from a cage can be discharged at various positions as required without moving more than the distance between the two cage centres. Should more emptying positions be required, the tippler can be moved sideways still further before discharging. In any case after discharge of the car, the tippler containing the empty car must be at rest on, or be moved to the centre line of the ascending cage.

As soon as a cage containing another full car arrives at the surface a ram pushes the empty car from its tippler into the cage, thus pushing the full car into another tippler where it in turn can be discharged down chutes whilst the cages are again being moved in the shaft.

It will therefore, be understood that when only two rams D, D, are used, one for each cage A, the full cars C from one cage are always discharged down one of the chutes G, or the like, at one side of the shaft, and full cars from the other cage down one of the chutes, or the like, at the other side of the shaft.

By using four rams D instead of two it is possible to reverse the direction of the transfer of the cars from the cage to and from the movable tipplers, if necessary.

After discharge, the coal or other mineral may be carried away by one or more conveyors H. Thus cars containing different kinds of coal or mineral may be discharged in such a manner that each kind may be kept separate and conveyed to the particular part of the cleaning or treatment plant desired for that particular class of material. v

Figures 7 and 8 show an arrangement of mechanical handling plant for use with a double decker cage A, the tipplers B being arranged one above the other as with the rams D. The pairs of tipplers B are mounted on a single wheeled carriage F, the arrangement following substantially that shown in Figures 1 and 2, although the arrangement according to Figures 4 and could be used.

Figure 9 illustrates in greater detail in end elevation a mechanical handling plant such as I hitherto described, the full car from one of the mine cages being received'by a tippler B mounted on a wheeled carriage F movable laterally on the the usual screen J.

Figure 10 illustrates an arrangement in which the full cars C as presented by the cages A in turn, are ejected therefrom by a pair of rams D, pushing empty cars in front, the full cars being received by wheeled transfer carriages F movable laterally on rails to a position in line with rams D and tipplers B. The cars are moved by the rams D into the associated tippler thereby ejecting therefrom an empty car for return via the empty car transfer carriages F to the cage by the rams D. With such an arrangement, the cars follow rectangular paths, that in the upper part of the figure being counterclockwise and in the lower part clockwise.

Figure 11 illustrates a still further modification in which the cars are received from the cages A by turn table K which is associated with rams D, D and tipplers B, the operative procedure of handling the cars is as previously described, the cars moving to and fro in a right angled path.

If-it is desired to know the weight of the coal or mineral, the rails E, E on which the carriages run can be arranged to act as weigh bridges and the weight of coal or mineral discharged can be accurately obtained. Thus the invention can be arranged to allow the use of cars of any tare weight as owing to the fact that a .car is discharged whilst .the' carriage carrying it'and its tippler is on that portionof rails which form the weigh platform the difference in weight with the car full and empty is always obtained.

Provisions may be made that should the tipplers and their carriages be in the way or form any obstruction in the occasional handling of bulky materials or during winding of men in the shaft, they could be moved sideways ontheir rails or on slides so that they can be clear of the shaft to allow unrestricted access to the cages. An extension of the carriages level with the landing level floor provides a level floor up to the cages when the tipplers are moved clear.

.It will beunderstood that the discharge of the loaded cars may beeffected without the employment of tipplers, for example, where the cars are fitted with doors or other appropriate discharge openings for emptying purposes.

What We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

Apparatus for handling coal, ore, or other mineral masses at 'a pit head, comprising, in combination, a pair of mine cages disposed in sideby-side relationship in association with a single mine shaft and adapted to operate alternatelyto move mine cars vertically between the pit head level and a lower point in the shaft, a pair of car receivers arranged adjacent to and at 0111 0- site ends of the cages at the pit head level in positions .to receive cars from said cages for emptying, the said car receivers being movable laterally to the line of movement of cars into and from said cages to permit movement of cars between each of said receivers and each of said cages, a first ram operatively associated with a first one of said car receivers in. alignment with a first one of said cages and adapted to push a car from said first receiver into said first cage and thereby displace a car from said firstcage into the second one of said receivers when the said receivers are in alignment with said first ram and saidffirstflcaga'and a'se'cond ram operatively associated with said second car receiver, in alignment with the second of saidcages, and adapted to push a car from said second receiver into said secondcage and thereby displace acar from said second cage into said first receiver when 5 the said receivers are in alignment with said sec- Number and ram and said second cage. 671,025 WALTER BERTRAM LODGE. 721,089 GEOFFREY ARMITAGE CORDEN. 845,217 5 1,226,483 REFERENCES CITED 5,03 921 The following references are of record in the ,517, 7 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date 38 7 404,656 Ramsay June 4, 1889 Name Date Martin Apr. 2, 1901 Ramsay Feb. 17, 1903 Burnett Feb. 26, 1907 Duvall May 15, 1917 Castleman Sept. 16, 1924 Castleman Dec. 2, 1924 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Apr. 27, 1908 

